Barcelona start the heavy favourites against Athletic Bilbao in the Supercopa de Espana

Aug 14, 2015 15:07 IST

Barcelona and their hunt for another trophy continues in earnest, with the European champions running up against Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames Stadium in the Spanish Super Cup first leg.

The Supercopa de Espana is another opportunity for Barcelona to add a title to their kitty, having already claimed UEFA Super Cup with a cannot-take-your-eyes-off-it victory over Sevilla.

While Barcelona showed their attacking verve in that Super Cup, even without Neymar, who will miss this match again through mumps, they showed their defensive frailty too, conceding four goals, including three straight ones, which allowed Sevilla to come back from 4-1 down in the second half.

That is a weakness that Athletic Bilbao will try to exploit, starting with the first leg of this Spanish Super Cup 2015 on Friday.

"We aren't going to play thinking about what's next," Athletic Bilbao manager Ernesto Valverde was quoted by Marca. "We're going to fight for every single title. We've played against them so many times that maybe it's our turn to win

"At this stage of the season, maybe they [Barca] aren't in the kind of form they showed in the Spanish Cup final. Sevilla have shown us that they can be got at and we're going to try to do just that."

In that Copa Del Rey final last season, it was Messi who made the difference, scoring a couple of goals, including an absolutely stunning individual one, which had those jaws dropping down to the floor.

If Messi and Luis Suarez are in the mood again, this Spanish Super Cup 2015 could be decided in the first leg. The key for Bilbao will be to ensure they stay in the tie heading into the second leg at the Camp Nou.

"We are in so many competitions that we are obliged to be at our best from the beginning," Barcelona manager Luis Enrique said. "Barca are motivated to beat anybody and Athletic always ask a lot of us.

"They are a team who use the support of their fans to cause problems for their opponents. It will be an uncomfortable match.

"We are going to play in San Mames and so we will try to be competitive. Over two legs I think we have the edge but Athletic are always able to trouble us."

Barcelona have a slight doubt over the fitness of Andres Iniesta, while Pedro Rodriguez is expected to feature, despite his continued links with a move to Manchester United. Jordi Alba remains out along with Neymar.

Athletic Bilbao have several injury absentees, with Ander Itturaspe, Inaki Williams, Mikel Rico and Iker Muniain all missing. "Our injuries are more significant, especially if we look at our squads," Valverde added.

Where to Watch Live

Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona is scheduled to begin at 10 pm local time (9 pm BST, 1.30 am IST, 4 pm ET). There will be no live TV coverage in India unfortunately.

The match can be watched live in the UK on Sky Sports 5, while the live streaming option is on Sky Go.

Watch the action live in US on ESPN News, while the Spanish Super Cup 2015 can also be live streamed on Watch ESPN.

TV3 will show the match live in Spain, while international viewers, including India, can listen to the Spanish Super Cup 2015 first leg on Radio Barca.